Life At The Tuna Ranch

Just Quickly... Little Malaysia (West End)

2009-11-17T22:15:00.000+10:00

I've been on a Char Kway Teow kick lately, and it was kind of by chance that I wandered into this place in West End.

If the quality of the Char Kway Teow is anything to go by, this place gets the Tuna Ranch Seal of Approval; Nice blend of heat in the chilli, and sweet in the egg. They clearly know how to stir fry, and it comes out hot, with some cooldown time needed. The seafood was also quite good. Prawns were de-head-and-tailed, calamari didn't feel like rubber. All in all quite good.

This seems to be a good place to go to, and undo the last hour spent at the gym :D Now, to see if their prata is any good.

The Skinny:

Shop 2, 156 Boundary Street
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner
Halal
Mains $10-15.

OSGi Pipe Dreams

2009-10-06T23:49:00.001+10:00

So OSGi has been on my radar for a while. I got a chance to have a good play with it, and I don't think I actually came out on top. So rather than bore you with my tales of woe, let me describe my OSGi Utopia:

Effortless builds

Ideally, I'd be able to declare bundle in my maven pom and that would be the end of it. That's right. No messing around with bnd or bundlor configuration. As a total newbie, figuring out what should go in the manifest was arguably the hardest part. A lot of that info is contained in my maven pom, so why do I need to specify it again just for the manifest?

Effortless deployment

With a classic war, I can simply run 'mvn jetty:run' and bang!, my project is deployed to a jetty instance that magically materialises out of no where. No dicking around. Not only that, I can tell maven to start up and deploy to an embedded jetty instance which runs in the background for integration tests, and tear down that instance later. Again, with near zero configuration. I might have to give it a config file that declares my data sources etc, but that's about it.

Effortless provisioning

Again, I'll look to the maven ecosystem for a good example. Maven repositories, (I rather like Nexus in particular) can be taught about other repositories, and it can download artefacts from these repositories on the fly.

I only played with DM Server, so your experiences may vary, but as of the moment, it looks like DM Server can only look at other DM Servers for remote hosted repositories. There's an issue to get support for the main EBR, but really, why can't I just point it at our local Nexus installation, which knows how to find aforementioned bundles for my build. Why is it so hard to find the same bundles for runtime?

Another big promise of OSGi is the end of classpath hell. That is another area where DM Server has unfortunately fallen flat on it's face. It was quite easy to screw up DM Server's boot classpath, and I managed to do so by trying to shoehorn my local maven repo into DM Server.

Granted, DM Server 2.0.0 is only a milestone release, but I really don't want to place bets on something that might not exist by the time a project goes live.

In summary…

OSGi does promise a lot, but the compromises needed to make good on those promises are just not worth it, with current tools. I can live with having to fudge around manifests, or do manifest-first development, but not being able to quickly provision an environment for my bundles to run is an absolute deal breaker.

Pizza Margharita

2009-09-14T23:01:00.002+10:00

Pizza Margharita, originally uploaded by tunaranch.

Pizza Margarita, with onions just because I felt like it.

The star is the slow roasted Roma tomatoes, and I cheated by using Lebanese bread for a quick thin base.

Not counting time spend roasting tomatoes, this would have taken about 5 minutes to assemble and finish under the grill. Seriously, you have no excuse for eating two minute noodles any more.

Vanilla Bean Semifreddo with Strawberries

2009-09-07T20:05:00.003+10:00

If Strawberries and Cream were to evolve, it would probably turn into something like this:

Home-made vanilla bean semifreddo, with sugared strawberry slices.

I learned how to make these strawberries (layer of sliced strawberries, sprinkle castor sugar, another layer of strawberries, more sugar ad nauseum) at a pancake breakfast at a friend's place. You'll end up with some really nice sweet, yet tart strawberries, with a nice pool of juice at the bottom.

This is a very simple, do ahead dessert that is guaranteed to impress.

How To Cook Poppadums (Properly)

2009-09-06T00:39:00.002+10:00

I was asked by a friend recently for tips on how to cook poppadums. Well, the short answer is you have to fry them. If you want the long answer, read on.

Now, let's first consider how not to do it: Microwave. Don't even think about it. Yes, I know that the packet contains microwave directions, but it's nothing more than a marketing ploy for lazy people.

So now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about how to do it properly. I.e., fry them:

Heat some oil, about 1 cm deep.
Chuck in a small piece of poppadums. When it crisps and rises to the surface, your oil is hot enough to fry.
Fry papadums, one at a time. They should pretty much go in and out. Take it out as soon as it's done. (It'll brown ever so slightly, and possibly curl, depending on the type). This should take seconds.

That's pretty much it. You can go through a whole packet in a matter of minutes. I prefer to break them in half, makes them a little easier to handle. If you have chopstick skills, this can be a good time to make use of them.

Note that these instructions don't apply to North Indian poppadums (the type you get at tandoori restaurants). These big, white poppadums with seeds in them just need to be toasted on a pan. Again, do not microwave!

Enjoy.

Smoke Points Of Various Cooking Oils

2009-09-04T10:42:00.001+10:00

In handy graph format:

Naturally, results will vary as how your oil gets will depend on what utensils you're using. Results can also vary slightly depending on the refining process used for that particular oil.

Data culled from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point.

Brisbane Full Moon

2009-09-03T21:10:00.005+10:00

Brisbane full moon, as shot September 3rd, 2009. Spent the better part of an hour, with the laptop tethered to the camera, camera tethered to the balcony (Glad I got that Gorillpod now!).

Seems f/16 was the sweet spot. Any slower, and the shutter speed wasn't fast enough to stop motion blur. Funny that. When you're looking at it with the naked eye, it doesn't really feel like it's moving, but it's quite a different story at 400mm, I suppose.

Vanilla Bean Semifreddo

2009-08-18T22:48:00.007+10:00

Want to make some ice cream, but don’t want to stuff around with an ice cream maker? Bill Granger hits the nail on the head when he refers to ice cream makers as the “Foot spas of the kitchen… they always end up on the sidewalk, in a garage sale”.With this simple, Bill-inspired recipe, you’ll have a simple semifreddo, and you won’t even have to turn on the stove.

Ingredients

6 Egg Yolks
1/3 cup honey
1 cup cream, whipped
2 Vanilla pods

Directions

Beat egg yolks and honey together, with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until the mixture turns pale in colour, and about doubles in volume.
Gently fold through the whipped cream and the seeds from the vanilla pods
Freeze overnight, or until mixture reaches the consistency you’re after.

Notes

Now that you know how to make a basic vanilla ice cream, you can mix anything you want. Chocolate chips, nuts, berries, cookie dough, anything you else you fancy.
After letting the mixture freeze for about 2 or 3 hours, you can then fold through any mix-ins. This time is needed so the ice cream gets a chance to thicken enough that you mix-ins don’t sink to the bottom.
You may also substitute different flavourings and essences instead of vanilla bean.
The original recipe this is based off used rosewater for flavouring, and raspberries and pistachios as a mix-in.
Consider reducing any fruit juice you use, unless you want to end up with a sorbet.

Prototype Semifreddo

2009-08-18T20:42:00.004+10:00

Prototype Semifreddo
Originally uploaded by tunaranch

My attempt at an Orange M&M tribute dessert; Vanilla bean semifreddo with orange M&Ms, and and Orange semifreddo with White M&Ms.

Unfortunately, the shells seem to have dissolved, and because I used fresh orange juice, the orange half became more like a Sorbet. Should reduce the juice to a syrup next time...

The colour on the orange sorbet-freddo is also a little light. Need to pick up some more vibrant dyes.

Baked New York Cheesecake

2009-08-04T10:05:00.006+10:00

A denser, citrusy cheesecake. I've added some extra egg whites to this recipe so that it's not too heavy.

Ingredients

1 packet (250g) Ginger Nut biscuits
70g butter, melted
750g cream cheese, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon zest
4 whole eggs
2 egg whites
2/3 cup thickened cream

Directions

Pulse the Ginger Nut biscuites in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Pour in the melted butter, and pulse until the mixted through
Line a springform tin with baking paper, and spread the biscuit mixture along the base and sides. Refridgerate until needed
In a bowl, beat everything else except eggs and cream until the mixture is smooth.
beat in the eggs and egg whites, one at a time
Beat in te cream.
Pour mixture over base
Bake in a preheated oven at 150℃, for about 90 minutes.
Cool, and refridgerate, preferably overnight.

Restaurant Review: Java Queen at Highgate Hill

2009-07-05T22:51:00.002+10:00

It's been a week of broken expectations... first, Spring Roo comes in and sweeps away 10+ years of prejudice by being a code generator that doesn't suck (That's a topic for another blog post), and now, a 'modern cuisine' restaurant that has great food at very reasonable prices.

Java Queen, is a small, cosy and very unassuming restaurant in South Brisbane. We would not have come across it if a mate hadn't picked it just because of the name. Being fairly new (open only for a couple of months), I went in with no expectations, and was simply blown away.

The place is very intimate, looks like it seats about 30, good for groups of under 6.. About half the place lets you have a good view of Chef Dimitri at work.

The prices there seem pretty reasonable. All dinner mains are $19. I had one the specials ($24), 12 hour (yes, 12 hours!) slow roasted duck breast, served on a bed of jasmine rice, and at the end of it, my plate was practically clean. The duck was exceptionally well prepared. The skin was crispy, and the meat was very tender and consistently juicy, and didn't have the gamy taste that you get at some places. Dessert ($7) was a very nice steamed chocolate mud cake, served with ice cream. It was tasty without being overwhelmingly rich, and was light enough that everyone practically inhaled it.

The menu is an interesting mix of Modern oz and Indonesian cuisine. I had trouble reading past the duck tonight. Must definitely go back for another look at the menu, and to and try the rendang and the sticky date pudding.

Taming bash autocomplete

2009-06-22T18:41:00.003+10:00

To make bash's autocomplete a little smarter, but these lines in ~/.inputrc:

"\e[A": history-search-backward
"\e[B": history-search-forward
set completion-ignore-case on

This will let you, for example, type out 'mvn' and have bash autocomplete from history, the last maven incantation used.

Another neat trick is to add these two lines to your .profile:

export HISTCONTROL=ignoredups
shopt -s histappend

The first line will stop duplicate commands from cluttering up your history, and the second line will make sure that your history gets maintained between different sessions.

Béchamel done wrong?

2009-06-13T10:46:00.004+10:00

I've had some trouble stomaching my béchamel for a while. It's felt a lot like eating uncooked flour. The way I've learned to do it is it add flour to frothing butter, and then incorporate the milk at the end.

Well, according to Jacques Pépin's Techniques this is incorrect. You're meant to:

Mix softened butter and flour, in a bowl, into a smooth paste.
Bring milk to a boil, and whisk in the paste into the milk.
Bring to boil, cook at low heat for 4-5 minutes while stirring.
Season.

For a thin sauce, use 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp butter per cup of milk. For a thicker sauce, use 3 tbsp each of flour and butter.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

2009-06-09T23:26:00.005+10:00

I can't quite remember where I got this recipe from. Probably Donna Hay. Must make this again so I can take pictures.

Ingredients

120g dark choc, chopped
110g unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa, sifterd
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
280g dark choc, extra, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 160. Melt choc over steam, set aside
Cream buttter and sugar
Add egg and vanilla, beat for 3 or 4 mins
Stir thru dry ingridients and melted chocolate
Add chopped choc and mix to combine
Form into balls, and bake for 10-12 mins

Takeaways from JAOO

2009-05-13T09:41:00.006+10:00

Just summing up my thoughts from JAOO 2009.

The Good

Every project has room for failure. Clever people plan around failure, and have contingencies in place.
Selenium is an awesome tool for browser/user acceptance testing. I'm embarrassed to say I've known about this tool for years, but have not used it. In my defence, though, all I've been working on lately is web services and other integration type work.
I really like Atlassian's "10 minutes from checkout to coding" policy. It forces you to keep your builds portable. VMs to deploy test environments means you don't have to step on your team members toes.
Sharing development environments is like sharing needles.
Issue Trackers are a lot better at maintaining the paper trail related to a change compared to email. Seems obvious when you think about it, doesn't it?
Continuous Integration can help you catch problems early, and the value of this grows with the size of the team, and the complexity of the system under test.
CI + Remote Agents + Selenium = good baseline for automated browser testing.
Atlassian folks are awesome!

The Bad

ESB/SOA is a lot of snake oil
SOAP is expensive.
Benchmarks are extremely hard to get right. Platform, OS, Servers, phase of moon can lead to wildly varying results.

The Ugly

There are people who check in their IDEs along with their workspaces. .Net people are excused, because they are sad anyway :), but really, why check in an entire eclipse installation? m2eclipse can set up your project for you from checkout in a matter of seconds. (The whole maven-hate thing needs another post to address).

Watalappan

2009-05-06T19:02:00.003+10:00

Made from coconut milk and palm sugar, this is more than just a Sri Lankan version of Crème brûlée. Addition of spices gives it that special kick.

Ingredients

5 Eggs
250g Jaggery or gula melaka
250ml Coconut milk (thick)
150ml Water
Pinch of Cardamom powder
Pinch of Cinnamon powder
Pinch of Nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp Rosewater essence
50g Chopped Cashew nuts (optional)

Directions

Melt Jaggery in water. While the syrup cools, lightly beat the eggs. Once the syrup has cooled, stir in the rest of the ingredients, alternating between the coconut milk and syrup.
Pour into a bowl, and steam for 90 minutes. Greaseproof paper and a teatowel can be employed to stop excess condensation from dripping back into the pudding.
Sprinkle with Cashew nuts.

Hello and Welcome

2004-09-27T20:44:00.000+10:00

So here I am. I have a blog. Woo.